Fast Food Nightmare

http://www.livestrong.com/article/8722-need-fast-food/

I came across an interesting article after having a heated debate with a friend who eats fast food at least once every day.  On top of the many health risks fast food contain, including heart disease, and high blood pressure,  eating these fatty foods makes you overeat!  By consuming more fats and sugars, our  bodies become immune to the hormone we are supposed to produce that tells us we are full!  Not only this, but consuming so much fat leaves us sapped of energy, and still craving more fat.  This is a vicious cycle none of the fit and fabulous want to be sucked into!  Watch what you eat!

Ab Buster

Let's face it, many of us judge ourselves based on how flat our bellies are...well judge no more!  This is the sit-up routine I love to do, and it really works!  All you need is a pump up song with a fast beat and you're golden :)

Begin by lying on your back.  After starting your pump up tune of choice (I prefer anything by Kanye West or Britney Spears!), start with your legs bent so that your feet are comfortably flat on the ground.  Raise until your shoulder blades are off the ground, then lower your back until the edge of your shoulder blades touch down.  Do not allow yourself to go all the way back down to the ground, you are aiming to keep your abs contracted at all times during this exercise!

Do 12-15 of these mini crunches, then quickly roll over into the plank position and hold for 12 counts. The plank position is basically where you are in a standard pushup position, but you are resting on your forearms (bent at a 90 degree angle) instead of your hands with your arms extended fully.  Keep your back straight and your butt down!  

After holding this position, roll to the opposite side and repeat the crunches, same number.  After 12-15 reps, roll back into plank position and hold for another 12 counts.  Keep in mind you are following the beats of the song, meaning right when you finish your crunches, you want to roll into plank position in as quickly as one beat!  It's meant to be challenging!

Feel free to modify the amount of reps/counts to your personal capacity.  Enjoy your tight abs!!

Slow Down!

Having watched a nutrition video in my physiology class today, I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the current mindset of many.  Food, which used to be viewed as an important part of socializing, and bonding, is now mostly viewed as an ingredient to keep us fueled.  The notion of eating as a family around a table has been replaced with people eating on their own time, whenever they please, wherever is most convenient (eg in front of the television or standing up, which actually makes you want to eat more!)  Instead of buying fresh food frequently, the frozen, ready-made dinner has become popular.  Fast food chains thrive off of the promise of being able to "have it your way", letting you design your own greasy meal.  This mindset centers around making food to please each of us individually, which fuels our new norm of multi-tasking and doing ten different things at once.  With our busy schedules, we are neglecting to cook for ourselves, and are therefore harming our health.  Not to mention the high-cost of dining out frequently, eating out tends to encourage larger, less nutritious meals.  

I was lucky enough to grow up in a family where my mother and father would work together to prepare dinners for us every night.  Eating out was more of a treat, and missing our family dinners were not permitted by any means.  This allowed us to share so much more than just a meal together--we would talk about our days, politics, history, culture, and really learn from each other.  Our family dinners have heavily impacted the person I have become, and I am so thankful that my parents cooked and made us eat together.  My family has always been very close, and it's precisely because we have all made interaction with each other a priority.

Food should not be viewed as a simple fuel--you will be depriving yourself of so much pleasure if you don't slow down to appreciate it!  Socialize while you eat.  Chew your food slowly (to allow your stomach to let you know when it is full!), and try to really taste and enjoy.  Get creative--invite someone over to cook with you, pour yourselves some wine (a glass of red wine IS actually healthy for you!) and make a night out of it!  Only by cooking for yourself, can you be absolutely certain of how healthy your meal is.  Indulge one of your greatest senses :)

Food For Thought

With my collegiate life soon coming to an end, the stresses of the real world are starting to dawn on me, and I have one worry.  Will I end up homeless?  This is of course the unrealistic side of me speaking that wonders what the real world will be like (and of course, in the most dramatic of terms!)  How will I survive without financial help from my parents?  Will I starve to death?  Will I have to work a job I hate just to make ends meet?  Where will I get health insurance?  While these are all valid concerns...I can't help but know in my gut that everything will be okay, and not just for me, but for all of us.  I know that only by maintaining strong mental and physical health, life can be truly lived, which is all any of us can really ask for at the end of the day.  Life is about being the best YOU that you can be--everything else is subordinate.  It's important that we savor the present moments and appreciate our loved ones--being aware of life's small details are what grounds us, allowing us to maintain good mental health (which is even more important than physical health, in my opinion!)  We must train our minds as we do our bodies, and continue to embrace the positive energy in our lives.

Stress is an unnecessary demon, and puts us at risk of obesity, heart disease, and  depression, among other things.  A life filled with stress is a life wasted.  I, personally, find humility when I read the international news.  My "stress" seems so trivial when compared to what some have to suffer through everyday.  

I am a huge proponent of meditation--whatever that may be to you.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I meditate by going on long walks alone.  This helps me clear my mind (and get in that hour and a half of low-impact, fat burning cardio!)  Find beauty in the world around you, and focus on something that settles your mind, body, and soul.  Whether it be expressing yourself in artistic avenues (writing, painting, music), or just laying in a park staring at the sky, meditation will help ease stress, giving you a more balanced, healthy life!  After all, the road to a fit and fabulous lifestyle starts with a fit and fabulous mind!

Recipe of the Week!

One word.  Salmon.  Salmon has been my latest obsession!  It's a wonder-meat--high in protein, packed with Vitamin D (helping your body maintain strong bones and teeth!), B12, niacin, selenium, B6, magnesium AND omega-3 fats!  Among other things, these omega-3 fats help prevent blood clots which cause strokes, as well as decrease the likelihood of depression and aggression.  Now that's one healthy meat to fuel our fit and fabulous lifestyles!  On top of the tremendous nutrition your body is getting, salmon (and most fish in general) will not leave you feeling painfully stuffed (say goodbye to the embarrassment of having to secretly unbutton your pants after a meal, yes!)  

Here's one of my favorite recipes for salmon.  It's quick, easy, and cheap.

Ingredients:

Salmon

Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste and Glaze (I like the kind with a hint of honey and pineapple)

Ginger (powdered)

Lemon (optional)

Directions:

1.) Place slab of salmon on a pan (easier if you place it on tin foil so the sauce doesn't char to the pan and make a mess!)  Set your oven to broil.

2.) Pierce salmon in many places with a knife.  Flip over, do the same.  Stick it in the oven for 1-2 minutes.

3.)  Pull salmon out.  Sprinkle desired amount of ginger on fish (I personally don't think you can have enough ginger!)  Baste meat with teriyaki sauce.  Flip fish over, repeat ginger sprinkling and teriyaki basting.  It's a lot easier to cut the fish up with your spatula and flip the smaller pieces, rather than trying to flip the entire fish.  Squeeze lemon juice over fish if desired.

4.)  Stick salmon back into oven, cook for about 7-9 more minutes.  Watch the fish and make sure it does not overcook--it will become too dry.  Check on it periodically by piercing the thickest parts of the meat.

5.)  Enjoy!  I like to steam broccoli or corn to eat with it.  :)

After you have enjoyed your dinner, think about all the tasty leftovers you'll have!  I personally like to wrap the salmon in whole wheat bread and eat it as a teriyaki salmon sandwich.  One piece of Costco salmon can last me (a single gal) for almost a week!  Bon appétit!

Know Thyself

I had a great conversation with a friend today about body shapes, and I felt the need to write about the importance of knowing your body, its limits, and your own genetics, because I have known far too many girls that stretch themselves to unhealthy, and sometimes dangerous levels to try and lose weight.  The fact of the matter is that we cannot really control where our body likes to store its fat.  I have known many women that pack their extra pounds in their tummies, and others that have very thin midsections, but larger butts or thighs.  Ladies, you must remember that although we are living in a society that encourages hanger-type bodies, this type of body is not the norm!  I know, it's tempting to want to look like those models in Vogue, but REMEMBER that the majority of these models rely on drugs to curb their hunger, and many are on the verge of death.  We are so lucky that we don't have that kind of career-reliant pressure that forces us to torture our bodies.  It's important to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes a healthy diet as well as physical activity.  Sure, you can "diet" in the sense of micromanaging your food for a couple of weeks to lose weight, but this is not a recommended way to go, because these changes are mostly temporary and the weight is easily gained back.  Be mindful of your diet, but please DON'T STARVE YOURSELF!

I can't say how sad it makes me to see how much pressure women are under to be rail-thin.  Starving yourself to be skinny will leave you constantly sapped of energy, damage your hair, and cause your breath to smell (ew no thanks!)  As well, many women who force themselves into frailty are also putting themselves at risk for hip fractures, chronic diseases, heart failure, or even cancer. If you want to lose weight, make a lifestyle alteration, and set realistic goals for your body type.  We must learn to love the body each of us has been given.  Some of us will always have a butt, don't think of it as such a bad thing (hey, Sir Mix-a-Lot seemed to like it enough to write a song about it!)  Starvation will not necessarily make your thighs disappear.  So embrace your curves, increase your fruits and veggies, get active, and lose weight the natural way!  Be kind to your body--if you aren't, you'll have no place to go.

Please Your Palate While Staying Skinny!

How many times have you gone out to a restaurant, ordered your food, and received a meal for three on one plate?  One of the greatest lessons I learned while traveling through Europe is how much we eat in America.  For instance, the french indulge in all the tasty foods, even the fatty ones, and are able to stay skinny because they monitor their portions.  Remember that it is completely OKAY to eat your fudge sundae dessert, just be mindful of the amount you are consuming.  In fact, studies have shown that finishing a meal with a few bites of dessert actually tricks your body into feeling like you have completed your meal, and will stop you from craving more food after.  Restaurants from the Cheesecake Factory to the California Pizza Kitchen serve unhealthily large portions, and what's worse is that we often finish our plates without thinking about how many calories we're consuming!  A good trick is to eat slowly so that your body can let you know when you are satisfied to stop eating.  When eating quickly, the body naturally consumes more because it cannot feel itself becoming full.  Next time you are out at dinner, really take an honest look at how much food is on your plate, and whether or not you really need to clean your plate.